Education Ministry announces comprehensive review of Ghana’s CSSPS

Ghana’s Ministry of Education is to establish a technical working committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

The ministry said the review would examine the different components of the placement process, identify areas requiring improvement and recommend measures to strengthen transparency and accountability.

The announcement follows a call by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference for greater openness, accountability and what it described as an “ultimate review” of the CSSPS.

In a statement dated September 15 2026 and signed by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, the ministry welcomed the bishops’ intervention and acknowledged the need for the system to be continuously improved.

The review comes after the conclusion of the current school placement exercise, although the ministry did not provide a timeline for the committee’s work or indicate when its recommendations would be published.

“The review will examine the various components of the system, identify areas requiring improvement, strengthen transparency and accountability, and make recommendations,” the ministry said.

It added that the objective was to ensure the CSSPS remained “credible, efficient, fair and responsive” to the needs of students, parents and schools.

The ministry defended the placement system as fundamentally merit-based, saying academic merit took precedence over protocol when qualified candidates were assigned to schools.

It said placement decisions were guided by established criteria intended to ensure that every eligible student was treated fairly under the approved framework.

Ministry warns against paying for placement

The ministry also reiterated that placement through the CSSPS was free and that parents and candidates should not pay anyone to secure or change a school placement.

It urged people with credible evidence of officials or third parties demanding money in connection with school placement to report the matter to law-enforcement agencies.

The warning covers alleged demands involving officials of the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, CSSPS Secretariat, Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training, or any other person.

The ministry said any reported official would be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted.

It did not disclose whether any complaints about demands for payment had been received during the latest placement exercise or whether any officials were under investigation.

The CSSPS is used to assign qualified candidates to senior high schools and technical and vocational institutions based on factors including their examination results and selected schools.

The proposed review is expected to examine whether the system is meeting its stated standards of merit, fairness and transparency. The ministry has not yet announced the membership or terms of reference of the technical working committee.